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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29293461">A Warrior's Heart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cat2000/pseuds/Cat2000'>Cat2000</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Collection: Purimgifts Day 2, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:22:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>766</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29293461</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cat2000/pseuds/Cat2000</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Disclaimer: I don’t own anything from the book series Animorphs and I’m not making any money from this fic</p>
<p>Summary: Rachel prepares to follow orders</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Purimgifts 2021</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Warrior's Heart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Storyteller1358/gifts">Storyteller1358</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Warning(s): Spoilers for most of the series; AU; violence and minor character death</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>I knew why Jake had sent me to carry out the mission. I was the heavy hitter of the team. The one who wasn’t afraid to carry out the tough decisions. I’d killed before. Not before becoming an Animorph, but afterwards? I knew the nickname Marco had for me. I knew how all of them saw me: as an Amazon warrior, a real-life version of Xena, Warrior Princess.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This was why I was here. Ready and waiting to kill Tom. Because Jake, my leader, had asked me to. Had <em>ordered</em> me to. And even though Tom, the human who <em>wasn’t</em> under the control of the Yeerk, was my cousin, so was Jake. And as the whole world was at risk, I couldn’t choose to save Tom. I <em>couldn’t</em>. I had to do what Jake said. I had to kill the Yeerk. And by doing that, I had to kill Tom as well.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And I knew this was one mission I wouldn’t be coming back from.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You might think that knowledge would scare me. Knowing that Jake had sent me to what amounted to my death. But if you’ve been following our story, you’d know the truth. The reality that I’ve been facing death ever since that day at the construction site. The day my whole life, my <em>whole world</em>, changed forever.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dying doesn’t scare me. Losing the war and becoming a Controller? <em>That</em> does. And I saw the future where that was a possibility. I saw the future where I had one of those things inside my head and it made me turn against all my friends. I’d betrayed them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But that was only one possible future. And this, what I was doing <em>now</em>, would make sure that future could <em>never</em> come to pass.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Did it make me sad, knowing what my fate was to be? Well, yeah. Don’t get me wrong. Despite what my attitude might show, I don’t have a death wish. I rush into things because I know the fear will overwhelm me if I step back. If I hesitate for even a second, that weak part of me will take over. I’ll be a coward.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And that’s not who I want to be.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As I heard Tom speaking, I knew I had to wait. To bide my time. I was prepared to sacrifice myself, but I had to keep my promise to Jake first. I had to take Tom with me.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>So as soon as I saw my chance, I did it. I morphed. And I took out the pilots before they knew what hit them. I pinned Tom, my cousin, to the metal floor under the weight of my polar bear morph. And I prepared to tear out his throat.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And he looked up at me, his eyes wide…and for an instant, a tiny instant, I <em>saw</em>. I saw the loss of control. I saw the Yeerk lose control and I saw…Tom. I saw my cousin, peeking out of those eyes. And there were tears in them. Tears that fell down his cheeks, but he looked…<em>determined</em>. “<em>Do it</em>,” he ground out. “Don’t let me live as a slave anymore!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was what I was here for. To take him out. To <em>kill</em> him, to kill my cousin. And to sacrifice myself doing so, because…there was no way I was coming back.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But I hesitated and Tom’s eyes shifted past me. Widened a fraction.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was enough of a warning and I turned, side-swiping with my paw and catching the Controller who’d sneaked up on me. He toppled to one side, bleeding from a head wound. I didn’t think he was breathing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I turned back to Tom.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Yeerk was back in control. He stared up at me and sneered. “I think I should be flattered. That <em>you</em> were the one who was sent after me. That you think I’m enough of a threat….”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>&lt;Shut up,&gt; I snarled in thought-speech.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’re not really going to let me live now, are you?” The Yeerk laughed. “You’ve killed all of them here on the ship. I’m the only one left.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>&lt;And you have no way out now, Yeerk.&gt; This morph wasn’t really conducive to delicate acts of precision, but I didn’t need that. I dug my claws into the Yeerk’s shirt and I pulled him towards the wall of the ship. And then I demorphed. I knelt on the floor in front of him and I looked into his eyes. “I’m going to watch you fry, Yeerk. But I’m not going to kill my cousin to do that.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <span class="u">The End</span>
  </strong>
</p>
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